Describe three components of effective mathematics instruction

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Three components of effective mathematics instruction include:
(i) Using mathematics-specific effective teaching techniques—This includes use of techniques such as concrete-semi-concrete/representational-abstract model. Effective mathematics instruction includes teaching students to master concepts through reliance on the concrete, semi-concrete (or representational), and abstract (CSA/CRA) model. This model first involves the use of tangible, three-dimensional objects or manipulatives that facilitate the learning of the mathematic concept by creating a mental image of the particular concept being taught. Once the students are able to grasp the concrete example of the concept, the semi-concrete level is introduced, which is a representation of the concrete example (e.g., drawing on paper). This begins the process of translating concepts students know about the mathematical relationships between physical objects to a mere representation of those relationships. The semi-concrete stage can include, for example, the use of tally marks in arithmetic computation, drawings of geometric shapes, or pictorial representations. The semi-concrete stage of instruction begins to help the student relate real world mathematics concepts to images seen on a page.
(ii) Building concepts and embedding math in real situations—teaching students to understand mathematical concepts rather than just having them memorize rote responses to basic facts or algorithms. Teaching students to learn mathematical concepts through everyday situations can promote learning as well as motivating the students to want to learn the concepts. Using a real-life situation as an anchoring technique or a connective strategy to the mathematical concept can help the students see the relevance of the concept and how to employ it on a daily basis.

(iii) Developing automaticity in computation—With automaticity (fluency) in computation, students are equipped for advance computational work and problem-solving. Automaticity in mathematics is achieved by initial skills being taught by a teacher, students practice those skills with close teacher guidance, students practice independently, and students move into a maintenance phase.